Three trends from the world of 3D printing

It has captivated technology enthusiasts for decades and the fascination doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. According to a Wohlers report, the 3D printing industry is due to grow to an overwhelming £9 billion by 2018. No surprises then, that industry events focussing on this popular trend can attract such an enthusiastic crowd of attendees. With this spring’s exhibition season coming to an end, we look back at one of the most exciting shows this year – DEVELOP3D Live.

By Laura England

As one of the UK’s leading conferences for design, engineering and additive manufacturing technology, the annual DEVELOP3D Live event transforms the Warwick University Arts Centre into a buzzing hub of industry experts from fields including computer aided design (CAD), additive manufacturing and cloud computing. With an extensive conference program, attendees have the opportunity to listen to the opinions and innovations of industry experts from major players like Microsoft, Siemens and Renishaw.

The exhibition runs for just one day, resulting in a jam packed schedule of fascinating demonstrations, insightful seminars and of course, the opportunity to meet industry enthusiasts in the dedicated exhibition zone. Put it this way, the complimentary lunch and limitless coffee supplied by the DEVELOP 3D organisers certainly helped to keep us fueled for the day. Naturally, Stone Junction’s team of attendees split up to devour as much knowledge and insight as we could in the day’s limited time frame.

Beginning the day with an engaging Kickstarter pitch from start-up, Team Mayku, it was clear that the 3D design realm is not limited to the big players dominating the industry. Followed by an insightful talk on IKEA’s digital design challenges, the day was certainly off to a varied and interesting start. Away from the main stage, attendees were spoilt with a diverse range of talks. Fundamental industry topics like design challenges, the medical applications of additive manufacturing and robotics were covered, but diversified by speakers’ thought-provoking predictions on the future of the industry.

While the theme of 3D printing was certainly present, the range of exhibitors at DEVELOP 3D demonstrated the huge number of industry sectors with a clear involvement or interest in the field. What’s more, in the exhibition zone - the networking hotspot of the event - the international draw of DEVELOP3D Live became much more evident. In fact, one exhibitor from the US described the show as ‘the only trade show worth attending’. For those international 3D enthusiasts who couldn’t attend, the organisers provided a free online video feed which captured the action throughout the day.

Providing an incredibly insightful glimpse into the future of manufacturing and product design, DEVELOP3D Live has secured its position on the Stone Junction events calendar. Plus, let’s face it, we would never pass up a free lunch.

Laura England

Stone Junction is a cool technical PR agency based in Stafford. We work for all sorts of businesses, with a particular focus on technology, technical and engineering companies. We like being sent cake and biscuits by clients, journalists and prospects.

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